Members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, which comprises 24 countries and the European Union, met in Germany this week, outside the commission's annual gathering, to address science matters related to the plans.
The New Zealand plan, developed with the United States, is to create an almost 2.3 million sq km reserve, or marine protected area (MPA), which would be the largest such reserve in the world.
It would be divided into three zones, including a no-fishing area of 1.6 million sq km.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the MPA would ''balance'' the protection of the marine habitats and species, while minimising impacts on existing users. A separate plan, backed by Australia, France and the EU, is for a massive area off East Antarctica.
Russia questioned the legality of the commission to declare such zones, and is seeking a smaller MPA, with a 50-year limit, and more access to fisheries. It appeared many delegates have been shocked by Russia's ''stalling tactics'' as they had believed consensus on the plan was close.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully, who led the delegation, said: ''While there is room for reasonable differences to be held about the relative positions of conservation, science and fisheries in any Ross Sea region MPA, it is undeniable that those differences must be resolved through constructive dialogue.
"International pressure for responsible leadership will intensify and New Zealand has every intention of playing its full part in ultimately achieving the right outcome.''
It is understandable Mr McCully should be disappointed and frustrated by our plan's rejection, which has taken years to develop and much negotiation already.
We like to think of ourselves as environmental leaders, and our proximity to the Antarctic has certainly given us a connection with ''The Ice'' in terms of adventurers, scientists, artists and environmentalists, that has naturally extended to a belief in environmental stewardship.
And the loss of life in the 1979 Mt Erebus plane crash ensures our emotional ties with the frozen continent.
The MPA plan certainly seems to provide for the protection of a vast area and its important and fragile habitats, ecosystems and spawning grounds, by way of three zones.
The bulk of the area, the General Protection Zone, will be fishing-free (but there will be allowances for research fishing approved by the Commission).
A Special Research Zone will be created to monitor the effects of fishing and climate change.
And a Spawning Protection Zone to protect the Antarctic toothfish, the dominant predator fish and the target of the current valuable fishery (managed by the commission) would continue in areas outside the MPA.
But New Zealand is treading on thin ice by criticising others for not getting on board with ''the right outcome''. Gone are the days when our nuclear-free policy was our much-trumpeted calling card.
We have opted out of signing up to the next Kyoto protocol commitment period, are mining on conservation land, making controversial changes to the Resource Management Act, cutting jobs and funding in our conservation department, and banning the right to environmental protest at sea.
Our ''Rainbow Warrior'' national stripes are a fading green and no longer squeaky clean. Labour's environment spokeswoman Maryan Street has questioned New Zealand's position on fishing in the Ross Sea, asking:
''What is the difference between fishing in the lucrative Antarctic toothfish area for 'research purposes' and the Japanese saying they only want to hunt minke whales for `scientific purposes'?''
It would be a shame if our delegates' good work was to be overshadowed by any comeback in our direction.
Better to continue to quietly work behind the scenes before the commission's annual meeting in October, and hope, with the backing of other committee members, to achieve our aim then.
And possibly a bit of self-examination is in order too, lest we find ourselves left out in the icy cold, far from the moral high ground.
